How does a callery pear (bradford pear) hold up in a storm?
This is the species that comes apart in the first serious ice event after it gets size on it. The crown is one heavy dome sitting on a handful of stems that all meet at a single point, so ice loads it evenly, the included-bark union unzips, and the tree splits into halves or thirds — a 50% crown loss overnight is routine, not exceptional.
What pruning can and can't prevent
The only pruning that changes the outcome happens early: on a young tree, thinning out the whorl of branches originating at the same point and establishing a single leader buys real years. Once it is 25-30 ft with a full crown, crown reduction only delays the split, and pruning during bloom or right after leaf-out invites fire blight, which enters through fresh wounds and blossoms.
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